How Caregiver Support Can Combat Rising Stress Levels

Study highlights higher-than-ever stress levels among family caregivers

We all know that caregiving for a loved one can be stressful, but it seems that caregivers may be feeling the strain more than ever before. Nearly two-thirds of family and friend caregivers consider their situation to be moderately-to-highly stressful, according to the recently released Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 report from National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP.

According to the study, 36 percent of caregivers rated their stress levels as high or very high. And the longer the care situation goes on, the more stressful it becomes.

Of course, the fact that caregiving is stressful isn’t surprising. Caring for a loved one can require an incredible amount of time, patience, hard work and energy, which can easily take a toll on a caregiver’s well-being, especially for those who are also employed or who have families of their own to care for.

According to the Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 report by AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving, 36 percent of caregivers report that they experience high or very high levels of stress.

On average, family and friend caregivers devote 23.7 hours per week to providing care, with just over one-fifth spending over 40 hours per week in the caregiver role. About 60 percent of caregivers in the study considered themselves to be the main or primary caregiver for their loved one, and about half of them indicated they were the only caregiver.

Caregivers devote an average of 23.7 hours per week to providing care to their loved one, with 32 percent spending 21-40-plus hours per week in a caregiving capacity.
Source: Caregiving in the U.S, 2020 report, AARP & National Alliance for Caregiving

While there are support programs available from health and community organizations to help relieve some of the issues associated with caregiving, such as respite and support groups, most caregivers don’t take advantage of these opportunities. In fact, the AARP study indicates that while 38 percent of caregivers felt that they would find respite services helpful, only 14 percent have made use of them.

“We understand that the burden placed on caregivers is often significant in terms of time, physical and emotional demands, and that’s why we developed BRI Care Consultation,” says Dr. David Bass, Senior Vice President for Research and Education at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. “It’s a flexible program specifically designed to help both the caregiver and the person receiving care, with the goal of reducing stress and strain on the relationship and improving the ongoing care situation overall.”

A proven program for caregiver support

BRI Care Consultation™ is a telephone-based, proven program designed to help both the caregiver and the person needing assistance by identifying issues that are most critical to them, and then helping them find and implement real solutions to meet their needs. Moving toward solutions improves the situation in both the short and longer term.

As shown by the 10+ research studies conducted over 20 years, caregivers participating in the BRI Care Consultation program experienced decreases in stress, strain in their relationships with family members, and reduced symptoms of depression. The individuals receiving care also experienced fewer unmet needs, and fewer emergency department visits and hospital readmissions. Find out more about BRI Care Consultation, or contact us at [email protected] for a brochure.